Comparative Studies of Avian Cognition

我的研究项目旨在了解复杂认知能力的演变。我研究的一个基本认知过程是空间认知，即在环境中有效移动的能力，这是所有移动有机体的重要能力。我和我的研究团队使用比较的方法来研究生活在不同环境中、具有不同生态压力的动物是如何解决记住它们来自哪里以及它们需要去哪里的问题。我提出了两条新的研究路线，专注于鸟类如何利用空间信息重新获得方向感(重新定位)。其中一项研究将使用受控养育条件来了解早期生活环境经验如何塑造空间线索的编码方式。我的研究将确定，鸟类幼年成熟期的持续时间差异是否会导致一些物种(雏鸟)带有空间模块，而另一些物种(鸽子)则更受其饲养环境的影响。第二个相关的研究将考察生态压力如何影响鸟类从环境中提取空间信息的方式。我和我的HQP将研究四种北美Corvid，它们在丰收时期(秋季)储存食物，以备匮乏时期(冬季)使用，但它们对这些食物储藏的依赖程度不同。对食物储藏室的依赖可能不仅会影响物种如何衡量空间信息，还会影响它们对空间线索可靠性的敏感性。 将物体具有抽象的性质，如“相同”或“不同”概念化，并能够将这一概念应用于新的体验，这是一种重要的认知能力，曾经被认为仅限于灵长类动物。我正在研究乌鸦表现抽象概念学习的能力。我的研究表明，与其他鸟类不同，但与灵长类动物相似的是，克拉克的胡桃夹子和黑嘴喜鹊在只展示几个样本的情况下，能够形成一个抽象的概念。我建议调查这种能力是否与Corvidae家族的其他成员相同，或者生态因素是否影响这种复杂的认知特征。 我的研究项目侧重于研究环境和进化如何塑造复杂的认知能力。这项研究将为推进我们对认知进化的理解提供基础，影响到来自神经科学、野生动物保护和政策、动物伦理和畜牧业以及健康科学等领域的广泛科学家群体。

My research program aims to understand the evolution of complex cognitive abilities. One fundamental cognitive process I investigate is spatial cognition the ability to locomote effectively through an environment an important ability for all mobile organisms. My research team and I use a comparative approach to investigate how animals living in different environments, with diverse ecological pressures, solve the problem of remembering from whence they have come, and where they need to go. I have proposed two new lines of research focusing on how birds use spatial information to regain a sense of direction (reorientation). One research line will used controlled rearing conditions to understand how early life environmental experiences shape how spatial cues are encoded. My research will determine if duration differences in the juvenile maturation periods of birds cause some species (chicks) to come “preprogrammed” with spatial modules whereas others (pigeons) are more influenced by their rearing environment. A second related research line will examine how ecological pressures influence the way birds extract spatial information from their environment. My HQP and I will examine four species of North American corvid that store food in times of plenty (autumn) for periods of scarcity (winter), but differ in how dependent they are on these food caches. Dependency on food-caches may influence not only how species weigh spatial information, but also their sensitivity to the reliability of spatial cues. Conceptualizing that objects share abstract qualities, such as "sameness" or "differentness", and being able to apply this concept to new experiences, is an important cognitive ability once thought limited to primates. I am investigating the ability of corvids to show abstract-concept learning. My research has shown that unlike other bird species, but similar to primates, Clark's nutcrackers and black-billed magpies are able to form an abstract-concept when only presented with a few exemplars. I propose to investigate whether this ability is shared by other members of the family Corvidae, or if ecological factors influence this complex cognitive trait. My research program focuses on investigating how environment and evolution shape complex cognitive abilities. This research will provide a foundation to advance our understanding of the evolution of cognition, influencing a broad community of scientists from areas such as neuroscience, wildlife conservation and policy, animal ethics and husbandry, and the health sciences.